


Following The Light From The Moon

by honeymoons



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, College AU, Echo's Disease, F/M, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:26:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6627118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeymoons/pseuds/honeymoons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unrequited love results in Echo's disease, an illness which causes the victim to lose the ability to talk. If the victim moves on, they regain their speech. If not, they have two options: erase all memories of their beloved, or face death. </p><p>Baekhyun leaves Chanyeol speechless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Following The Light From The Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sacminnie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sacminnie/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Echo's Disease](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6202297) by [sacminnie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sacminnie/pseuds/sacminnie). 



> Title credit to Exo. I pretty much only listened to [Moonlight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U78s3h5-JmA) ([piano version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLQtJK7xB7c)) the entire time I was writing this.
> 
> A very special thank you to the talented sacminnie, who came up with concept of Echo's disease (you should read her story), and let me use it for this story.

The last thing Park Chanyeol thought about before the anesthesia kicked in was that he didn’t have many regrets in his life. He liked to think that in all his years on earth, he had lived life to the fullest. Sure, there were trivial things that he regretted, like that one time when he was nine years old and accidently broke his mom’s favorite china set by playing ball in the house. Or that other time he got in trouble for pranking his sister. Or all those times in high school when he didn’t study and ended up bombing his exams. But no matter what, he would never regret meeting Byun Baekhyun. 

\- 

The dining hall was noisy at twelve in the afternoon. Many students were eagerly anticipating a lunch break in between classes and a hectic school day. At one of the many tables in the dining hall, Chanyeol slid over on the bench to make space for Baekhyun. His best friend set his lunch tray down and sat in the space next to him. On the other side of Chanyeol was Jongin, and across the table was Minseok and Jongdae. 

Baekhyun leaned in towards the center of the table conspiratorially. “Did you guys hear about what happened to Jimin?” 

“What happened?” Chanyeol asked curiously. He had only talked to Jimin a couple of times before; he knew Baekhyun had classes with the boy and was much closer to him. 

“There’s a rumor that he’s been out of school lately because he came down with Echo’s disease,” Baekhyun whispered scandalously.

“Echo’s disease? I think i’ve heard of it. It’s a pretty new disease, isn’t it?” Minseok set his fork down. “What happens when you get it?”

“You lose the ability to talk when you’re heartbroken,” Baekhyun supplied. “During the final stages of the disease, you can only repeat words or phrases that are spoken to you. When you’re about to die, you fully regain the ability to talk for one day. Then that’s it.” 

“Holy shit,” Jongdae gasped. “That’s crazy. You can die of heartbreak now?” 

“I guess so.” Baekhyun shrugged.

“You said that he _had_ the disease,” Minseok pointed out. “So is he okay now, or…?”

“Yeah.” Baekhyun twisted the cap off his water bottle. “Apparently he got the treatment to erase the memories of the person he loved. Otherwise he would’ve died.” 

“That’s sad,” Jongin commented, a thoughtful look on his face. “I wouldn’t want to forget the person that I love. I mean, I don’t know if I could go through with it.” 

“You wouldn’t really have a choice. If you got over the person you could recover, but if you didn’t, you’d have to go through with the treatment or end up dead,” Baekhyun stated bluntly. 

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Jongin replied. “Erasing your memories, or dying because the person you love doesn’t love you back.” 

Jongin’s words echoed in Chanyeol’s mind. 

-

It all started when Chanyeol and Baekhyun ran into a girl who had been assigned a dorm in the same building as them. The two boys apologized for bumping into her as the girl introduced herself. Her name was Taeyeon, and she explained that she had just transferred to the university. She was cute, Chanyeol thought, but not really his type. Baekhyun, on the other hand, couldn’t shut up about her. He constantly talked about Taeyeon for months after that. 

One evening, Baekhyun lay on his bunk, staring up at the ceiling. “Taeyeon noona is amazing, Yeol. I was talking to her in class earlier, and she’s so perfect. She’s smart and beautiful. I really like her.” 

“Mhmm.” Chanyeol absentmindedly made a noise and continued working on his essay. He had gotten used to Baekhyun gushing over Taeyeon. At this point, he usually just tuned out the smaller boy. 

“I think i’m gonna ask her out.” Baekhyun sat up on his bed. “Do you think I should? Do you think she’d like me back?” 

Chanyeol rubbed his eyes in exhaustion, then glanced at the clock. It was already midnight. “I’m sure she likes you Baek. You guys hang out all the time.” 

“Yeah, but what if she only sees me as a friend?” Baekhyun whined. “Come on, help me out.” 

“I’m kind of busy,” Chanyeol gritted out. His head was pounding, and he was barely halfway through the report he was writing. He knew that Baekhyun would continue to fret though, so he spun around in his chair and faced his best friend. “Look. Just ask her out. If you don’t, someone else will. Now will you please shut up?” 

“She’s so out of my league,” Baekhyun stressed, his mouth turned down. “All the guys in class like her.” 

Chanyeol frowned, feeling bad for snapping at Baekhyun a moment ago. Though the boy was older, he was quite sensitive. “Hey, Baek, i’m sorry for yelling. It’s going to be okay. You just need to take a chance.” 

Baekhyun looked down and shrugged. “You’re right. I’ll do it tomorrow.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Chanyeol grinned at Baekhyun from across the room. “Now come on, smile for me.” 

Baekhyun couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. The phrase had come into being the first time they met. Long story short, Chanyeol had made Baekhyun cry and blurted out, “Smile for me!” in an attempt to get the other boy to stop crying. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Baekhyun let out a loud yawn. “Thanks, Chanyeol. I’m gonna turn in for the night. Do you mind if i turn off the light, or do you still need it?” 

“You can turn it off,” Chanyeol said. “I’m gonna be up for a while.” 

Baekhyun slid off the bed and hit the lightswitch, then crawled under his sheets. The bright light from Chanyeol’s laptop screen shone on his face. It was quiet in the room, and the only the sound that could be heard was Chanyeol’s furious typing, causing the keys to clack from under his fingers. 

By the time Chanyeol finished, it was two in the morning. He had planned to proofread his report one last time, but gave up since his eyes felt like they had rocks weighing them down. He stood up and stretched, linking his fingers together and twisting his body. He let out a satisfied sound. He had been sitting motionless for the past couple of hours. Chanyeol collapsed onto his bed and looked over at the other bed in the room. Baekhyun had always been small, but he looked even smaller and more innocent in his sleep. In the dark, Chanyeol watched Baekhyun’s chest move up and down slowly, his breaths coming out deep and even. The moonlight spilling through the window made Baekhyun look like an angel. 

-

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol!” Baekhyun burst into their shared room, brimming with excitement. 

“What the-” Chanyeol jumped, startled at the sight of Baekhyun suddenly barging into the room. 

“She said yes! Taeyeon noona said yes!” Baekhyun was buzzing with energy. “Your advice worked. So thanks!” 

“I didn’t even do anything,” Chanyeol said modestly. 

“But you did! You told me to just up ask her out, and it worked. I knew you were my best friend for a reason!” Baekhyun jumped onto the bed, wrestling Chanyeol into a hug. 

“Ahhh! Get off of me.” Chanyeol shoved Baekhyun to the side. “Is that the only you keep me around?” 

“Nah, I keep you because you’re so cute,” Baekhyun teased. “Look at your ears. Look at how adorable they are.” 

Chanyeol punched Baekhyun in the arm. “Shut up.” 

-

Chanyeol didn’t see this coming. He didn’t even realize he felt this way about Baekhyun until he saw him with Taeyeon. He chastised himself. He should be happy for Baekhyun. After all, they were best friends, and Baekhyun finally landed the girl of his dreams. But as Chanyeol watched Baekhyun and Taeyeon cuddle up against each other from across the table, he felt nothing but a crushing sadness and burning jealousy rise in his chest. He tried to smother his emotions, but the flames burned brighter. He could feel the heat of it slowly consuming him from the inside out. 

He tried to avoid them. It wasn’t too hard, since Baekhyun was occupied during the day with his classes, and a lot of his free time was spent with Taeyeon. On the occasions that Baekhyun would text him and ask if he wanted to hang out during lunch, Chanyeol made up an excuse to decline the offer, feeling awful afterwards. At night, Chanyeol would escape to the library to do homework and study, then slip back into the dorm to sleep. Sometimes he would lay awake for hours after, watching Baekhyun sleep, illuminated by the moonlight. 

-

Chanyeol thought he was doing okay until he choked up. It was Saturday, and he made plans to go skateboarding with Jongin. Normally skateboarding was something he did with Baekhyun, but he didn’t think he could handle being around Baekhyun at the moment. 

Chanyeol felt guilty for continually avoiding his best friend. Baekhyun had stopped him the other day and asked if he wanted to do something on the weekend. Chanyeol rushed to find an excuse, eventually blurting out something about already having made plans with Jongin (he made a note to himself to force Jongin to do something with him on the weekend). The moment the lie came out of his mouth, Baekhyun’s expression fell. Chanyeol felt a lump rise in his throat, but he swallowed it and darted off to class. 

“Hey Jongin. do you want to go skateboarding this weekend? Because I want to. You should come with me,” Chanyeol rambled. 

Jongin gave him a confused look. “What?” 

“I need you to skateboard with me this weekend,” Chanyeol said, a hint of desperation leaking into his voice. “Please.” 

“Don’t you usually skate with Baekhyun hyung?” Jongin raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s busy!” Chanyeol claimed. “I need a skating buddy. Come on.” 

“Fine,” Jongin shrugged. “Why not?” 

Skating with Jongin on Saturday was a welcome change from what Chanyeol had been doing lately. For a couple of hours, he stopped thinking about Baekhyun. A combination of the warm sunlight outside and Jongin’s infectious energy lifted his spirits. The skate park was fairly empty, and the boys made a lot of noise as they skated. They were competitive, working hard to outdo the other. Chanyeol had just executed a flawless flip on a slope when Jongin squinted at something behind him. 

“Hey. There’s Baekhyun hyung and Taeyeon noona.” Jongin nodded in their direction. “Let’s say hi to them.” 

Chanyeol’s good mood dropped instantly, but he said nothing. Jongin waved to the couple as they started getting closer.

“Hi Jongin! Hi Chanyeol!” Taeyeon smiled at them, her perfectly shaped teeth sparkling brightly. 

“Chanyeol! What are you doing here?” Baekhyun asked.

“I’m hanging out with Jongin today. What are you guys doing here?” Chanyeol managed to get out. 

Baekhyun lifted up a skateboard that Chanyeol hadn’t noticed previously. “I’m going to teach noona how to skateboard.” 

“Oh. Cool,” Chanyeol said flatly. 

Chanyeol and Jongin went back to the higher slopes while Baekhyun led Taeyeon towards the beginner slopes. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun held Taeyeon’s hands, assisting her as she found her balance. Taeyeon tripped up often, but the couple was clearly having fun together. Chanyeol was observing them so intensely that he ended up falling off his board, landing on the concrete with a hard thump. 

Jongin rushed over to his side to help him up. “Damn hyung, you took a hard fall.”

Chanyeol laughed it off. “I was just distracted for second. Do you wanna compete again? I bet I coul-” His words abruptly cut off, and his windpipe felt like it was closing up. He tried to speak again. “I could be-” 

“What’s wrong?” Jongin’s tone was alarmed. 

“Noth-” Chanyeol croaked, then gasped. 

“Why can’t you speak?” Jongin asked worriedly. Realization suddenly dawned on his face. “Hyung, do you have Echo’s disease?” 

“It- it’s noth-” Chanyeol’s tongue felt heavy, and his voice cut off again. 

“Who is it, hyung?” Jongin demanded.

Chanyeol shook his head. “It’s no one.” His voice was barely a whisper, and Jongin had to strain to hear him. 

“Hyung, tell me the truth,” Jongin replied, grabbing Chanyeol firmly by the arm. 

“What are you guys doing?” Baekhyun’s voice floated over to them. Chanyeol could see Baekhyun and Taeyeon getting closer. “Taeyeon noona and I are going to get lunch. Do you guys want to come with us?” 

A panicked expression appeared on Chanyeol’s face as he watched Baekhyun walk over. He looked at Jongin, his eyes wide, shaking his head. 

“What?” Jongin said as he tried his best to interpret Chanyeol’s signals. “You don’t want to tell Baekhyun hyung? Why not? He’s your best friend!” 

Chanyeol attempted to respond, but again, nothing came out of his mouth. He stared imploringly at Jongin, and the other boy gave in. 

“Uh, no, sorry, hyung. we can’t make it today.” Jongin turned hastily towards the couple. “We have a huge project to finish. We were just taking a short break.” 

“Okay, see you guys next time. Good luck on the project.” Baekhyun began to walk away with Taeyeon, but turned to glance behind his shoulder. “and Chanyeol, we really need to make some plans soon, just the two of us.”

Chanyeol merely nodded in affirmation to get Baekhyun away quicker. 

“He’s gone now. So why didn’t you want him to know?” Jongin pressed the issue, but Chanyeol was distracted, his eyes fixated on Baekhyun as he walked away. 

“Hello? Chanyeol hyung? Do you hear me? What are you looking at?” Jongin waved a hand in front of the taller boy’s face, then followed Chanyeol’s eyes to Baekhyun’s receding figure. “It’s Baekhyun hyung, isn’t it.” 

Chanyeol blinked, his eyes focusing on Jongin. The taller boy’s mouth curled up into a sad smile. 

-

Chanyeol wanted to keep the entire thing a secret, but Jongin had informed all of their friends about Chanyeol’s situation. Chanyeol had been angry, but Jongin stubbornly argued that their friends needed to know and also insisted that they could help. 

“We just have to help you get over Baekhyun, right?” Yixing looked at Chanyeol from across the table. 

Kyungsoo snorted. “That’s easier said than done. I studied this disease in one of my classes, and it’s extremely difficult to overcome it naturally. Most people opt for treatment.” 

“He doesn’t want the treatment,” Junmyeon sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“So we set him up on dates,” Jongdae suggested. “Let him meet new people.” 

Chanyeol felt frustration bubbling up in his chest. He didn’t want to erase his memories, and he didn’t want to meet new people. All he wanted was Baekhyun. But his friends looked at him hopefully, and he could see the desperation in their eyes. He cleared his throat, hoping his mouth would cooperate with him. “O-okay. I’ll do it.” 

It didn’t work. None of it worked. Chanyeol’s friends had set him up with tons of different people over the course of weeks, but he couldn’t move on. During a date with a handsome boy named Sehun, he spotted Baekhyun with Taeyeon on the other side of the restaurant. Chanyeol had quickly feigned illness, apologizing profusely to Sehun before hightailing it out of the place. That was the last date he went on. 

“I c-can’t d-do it,” Chanyeol choked out the next day in the dining hall. 

“Shit,” Minseok swore. “This was our only option.” 

Jongin bit his lip. “You should get the treatment hyung.” 

Chanyeol stared at him incredulously. “Y-you were the on-” He couldn’t get the words out and opted to scribble down a note instead. _You were the one who said you didn’t know if you would go through with it and erase your memories._

Jongin gripped the note tightly, the paper crinkling in his hand. “Hyung, I know what I said, but maybe it’s something you need to consider now.” 

-

As it turned out, Jongin was right. Chanyeol collapsed outside one of his classes a few weeks after he quit going out on dates. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the glaring white lights of a hospital room. He tried to push himself up, but couldn’t gather enough strength. A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves under his and propped his back up against the headboard of the bed. When he looked up, he saw Junmyeon. 

“Hey Chanyeol,” Junmyeon said affectionately. His expression quickly turned somber. “Do you remember what happened? You passed out after class yesterday. Scared the shit out of all of us.” 

Chanyeol blinked at him, trying to talk but finding himself unable to. 

“You’re awake.” An unfamiliar voice met Chanyeol’s ears, and he craned his neck to find the source. a tall man clad in a long white coat stood in the doorway, holding a clipboard. “Hello Chanyeol. I’m the doctor that’s been assigned to your case. my name is Doctor Wu.” 

Doctor Wu went straight to the point. “You’ve been scheduled for surgery tomorrow. We can’t prolong this any further. You’re in critical condition, and it could get worse at any moment.” 

Chanyeol opened his mouth, ready to protest, but found that he couldn’t make a sound. He settled for shaking his head. There had to be another way. One that didn’t involve erasing every trace of Baekhyun from his life. 

“I’m sorry, but there’s no other option. You have to go through with this, or you _will_ die.” Doctor Wu looked at Chanyeol sympathetically. “I know it’s hard. I’m going to leave you and your friend alone now.” 

When doctor Wu exited the room, Chanyeol clutched at Junmyeon’s hand. He looked up at his friend, horror in his eyes. Junmyeon sighed and sat down on the side of the hospital bed. 

“Chanyeol, this is the only way,” Junmyeon said softly. “There’s nothing else we can do.” 

Chanyeol rubbed his face, irritated by his inability to express his thoughts. He grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them over his face. He didn’t want to see anyone right now. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He wanted to disappear. 

Junmyeon sighed, then stood up. “I understand if you don’t want to talk right now, but everyone’s going to come back tomorrow before the surgery. We’re all going to be here to support you.”

When the footsteps faded away, Chanyeol surfaced from beneath the covers. He tried to console himself. Everything would get better after this. he would be okay again. He would be normal again. Chanyeol repeated the mantra over and over again in his head, but he couldn’t quite get himself to believe it. 

-

Chanyeol’s hospital room was lively the next morning. He was scheduled for surgery in the afternoon, and his friends all skipped class in favor of keeping him company. They had brought a mini whiteboard and markers along as well, and Chanyeol was grateful that he could communicate again. The time flew by quickly, and the moment that Chanyeol had been dreading was approaching rapidly. 

Nurses began to trickle into the room, preparing Chanyeol for the operation. One by one, Chanyeol’s friends began to bid him goodbye. He sat anxiously in the room, wishing that he wasn’t alone. The ticking of the clock sounded awfully loud without the noisiness of his friends to distract him. 

Chanyeol heard the door open, and inhaled sharply when he saw the visitor. Baekhyun. The dark haired boy shut the door softly and began walking towards Chanyeol. 

Chanyeol grabbed his whiteboard. _Why are you here?_

“Why didn’t you tell me you had Echo’s disease?” Baekhyun countered, a hurt look on his face. 

_How did you find out?_ Chanyeol avoided Baekhyun’s question. 

“Jongin called me and told me that you’re getting the treatment. He said as your best friend, I deserved to know. So why didn’t you tell me? Why did i have to find out from Jongin, instead of my best friend?” Baekhyun’s voice rose with distress. 

Chanyeol tried to think of something to write, but all he could do was stare at the whiteboard in his lap. What could he possibly tell Baekhyun? He never wanted Baekhyun to find out about his situation this way. 

Baekhyun continued talking. “I thought we told each other everything. Why didn’t you tell me that you were in love? Who do you love so much? Who broke your heart?”

At that moment, the door opened, and a nurse stepped in. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over.”

“Just a moment, please.” Baekhyun moved closer to Chanyeol. 

“I’m sorry, but you have to go.” the nurse came over to Chanyeol’s side and began unhooking the numerous wires that were connected to his body. 

Chanyeol wrote something on his whiteboard suddenly, holding it up for Baekhyun to read. _Come over here._

Baekhyun moved past the nurse, despite her protests, and made his way over to Chanyeol. Chanyeol pulled a folded piece of paper out of the pocket of his hospital gown. He hesitated before pressing it into Baekhyun’s hands. Baekhyun didn’t even have time to react before he was being shuffled aside by the nurse.

“Wait! Chanyeol!” Baekhyun cried out as the nurse wheeled Chanyeol out of the room. “What is this? What are you trying to tell me?” 

Chanyeol held up the board. _What did I say to you the first time we met?_

“Smile for me...?” Baekhyun trailed off at the end, unsure of what Chanyeol was trying to communicate to him. 

“Smile for me,” Chanyeol requested, repeating the words back to him.

Chanyeol’s eyes were wide and earnest, and Baekhyun tried his best to muster up a smile. It felt more like a grimace than a happy expression, but Chanyeol beamed back at him anyway. 

The nurse wheeled Chanyeol away, and Baekhyun stood alone in the empty room. 

-

That night, Baekhyun tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about the paper that Chanyeol gave him earlier back at the hospital. He had eft the neatly folded note on his desk, unable to bring himself to open it, afraid of what might be inside. Finally, he got out of bed and mustered up all the courage he could gather and slowly unfolded the sheet of paper. 

_Hi Baekhyun._

_You’re never going to read this because it’s 2 AM right now, and the surgery is tomorrow. I’m sorry that it’s going to be this way. I wish I could talk to you one last time. The fact is I’m going to forget you tomorrow. I’m going to forget everything._

_I’m going to forget how we met. Remember when we first met? We were both at the park, I stepped on your toy and it broke, and you burst into tears.Ii was so afraid you were going to tell my mom. Thank god I managed to get you to stop crying, right? But then you punched me right after that so we got in trouble anyways._

_I’m going to forget your face. Your stupid face. The way you smile. The way you laugh. The way your nose scrunches up when you’re confused._

_I’m going to forget your dumb quirks, like how you always teased me about my ears, or how you have an amazing voice and always kicked all of our asses on karaoke nights. One of my favorite things to do was go to your piano recitals because you’re so good at playing it._

_All those little things made me fall in love with you._

_Baek, there are seven billion people in this world. Seven billion, and we ended up meeting. I’m so lucky that I got to meet you. I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret loving you. No matter what happens, you’re always going to be my best friend._

_I hope you’ll be happy. I want you to always be happy, even if I can’t be the source of your happiness. I love you, Byun Baekhyun. I hope you never stop smiling._

Droplets fell upon the paper, and the ink began to smudge as Baekhyun’s tears seeped into the letter. 

-

Yixing sent him a text that morning saying that everyone was heading to the hospital. Baekhyun agonized over whether or not to go. After stressing for a couple of hours, he decided not to go. Chanyeol wouldn’t remember him anyway.

Yet Baekhyun ended up standing in front of Chanyeol’s hospital room. His hand shook as he reached out to open the door. His hand hovered indecisively over the handle for a few seconds before he pulled away. He thought he could handle this but he couldn’t face Chanyeol. Baekhyun turned around and ran. He didn’t know where he was headed, he didn’t care where he was going. He just needed to run. 

Later that week, while Chanyeol was still in recovery, Baekhyun filed for a room change. The university was understanding due to the special circumstances that surrounded his situation with Chanyeol. He had been swapped with Jongdae and was now roommates with Kyungsoo. 

It felt wrong. Baekhyun couldn’t stop comparing the difference between living with Kyungsoo and living with Chanyeol. The room was always too clean. Chanyeol’s clothes weren’t strewn all over the floor. Their shared desk space was never cluttered with food and random scraps of paper. The walls were empty and held no posters. 

Their room was always too quiet. Baekhyun missed Chanyeol’s loud mouth. He missed the way Chanyeol would jump onto his bed and shout at him to wake up on the weekend. He missed Chanyeol’s booming laugh that reverberated off the walls.

Gone were the nights of late night food runs, video game competitions, movie marathons, and last minute study sessions. 

Gone were his days with Chanyeol. 

-

Baekhyun sat alone in a cherry blossom orchard, resting his back against the bench. There were two rows of cherry blossom trees that lined the concrete path before him and led on for a few miles. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the brisk night air. He enjoyed the solitude and quiet provided by the night, and a small smile formed on his face. 

Nighttime was Baekhyun’s favorite part of the day. The wind whistled as it moved through the branches of the trees. The gentle breeze lightly ruffled Baekhyun’s hair and caused the blossoms to fly around him, creating a swirling storm of petals. He gazed up at the stars twinkling softly in the sky, thinking about Chanyeol. 

When they were younger, they had snuck out all the time to go stargazing. They had watched the stars together when they were young, free, and without a care in the world. Baekhyun thought back on those times with fondness, but those memories were now tinged with heartache and sorrow. 

Chanyeol had been released from the hospital three weeks ago. All of their friends tiptoed around Baekhyun. They never pressured Baekhyun into seeing Chanyeol, but they would give him updates on his former best friend. Baekhyun was relieved to know that Chanyeol was doing okay, but his heart twisted every time he thought about the younger boy. Baekhyun’s eyes closed, a frown forming on his face.

“Excuse me, are you okay? I don’t mean to intrude, but I think I’ve seen you around school, and I saw you sitting here by yourself...” came a voice from in front of him. 

Baekhyun kept his eyes shut. He could recognize Chanyeol’s voice anywhere. 

Despite his silence, Chanyeol continued. “Do you come here often? I used to come out here all the time when I was younger.” The bench creaked as he sat down beside Baekhyun.

“I did too.” Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by Chanyeol’s friendly face.

"Why are you sitting out here all by yourself with that look on your face?” Chanyeol’s face glowed in the dim light provided by the moon. “You shouldn’t frown when you have such a beautiful smile.” 

“I’m fine,” Baekhyun murmured. 

”Are you sure? I saw you smiling, but then you looked sad.” Chanyeol’s eyes sparkled with kindness.

Baekhyun steeled his nerves before saying the words that were on his mind. “I was thinking about my best friend. We used to come here together to look at the stars.” 

“What happened to your friend?” Chanyeol asked. 

“He’s gone,” Baekhyun murmured. “And I’ll never get him back.” 

“Losing a friend is hard,” Chanyeol said gently. “But I don’t think he’d want you to be sad. I think he would want you to be happy.”

“I know,” Baekhyun replied sadly. “He told me that before we were separated.” 

“Then you should smile for him.” Chanyeol grinned at Baekhyun, making a playful expression. “You should smile for me!” 

Baekhyun tried to hold back his tears, but he could feel them falling from his eyes. A wrinkle appeared between Chanyeol’s eyebrows as he looked at the other boy with concern. Chanyeol moved forward, a hand reaching out towards Baekhyun’s face. 

Chanyeol’s hand ghosted over Baekhyun’s cheek, and he swiped away the tears with his thumb. “Why are you crying?” 

“Smile for me. That was something my best friend used to say.” Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol through his tears, his vision blurry. Taking a deep breath, Baekhyun’s lips formed a melancholy smile. 

Chanyeol’s expression suddenly wavered, and Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol’s hand begin to tremble against his cheek. Baekhyun watched as a tear rolled down Chanyeol’s cheek. Chanyeol pulled back and touched his face, blinking in surprise. 

“I- I’m so sorry. I don’t know what just happened. I don’t even know why i’m crying.” He touched his face in wonder. 

“It’s okay.” Baekhyun mimicked Chanyeol’s earlier actions and brought his hand up to the boy’s face, wiping away the tear. The moonlight shone down on them like a bright spotlight, as if they were the only two people in the world. “Just smile for me.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I searched up the lyrics to Mooonlight and discovered that the song was about the myth of Narcissus and Echo. Echo's disease is a concept that is obviously based off that Greek myth, and I was surprised to find out that the song matched the story. 
> 
> If you want to read more about Moonlight and its connection to Narcissus and Echo, check out [these](http://knets-on-baekhyun.tumblr.com/post/111144361022/pann-exos-songs-beautiful-lyrics-part-1) [links](http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/e/exo_k/moonlight_lyrics.html) [here](http://www.kpoplyrics.net/exo-moonlight-lyrics-english-romanized.html).


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